For the first-time we can take a molecular-level look at one of the world’s deadliest crop killers.
For the first-time we can take a molecular-level look at one of the world’s deadliest crop killers.
The Luteoviridae are pathogenic plant viruses responsible for major crop losses worldwide. Transmitted by aphids, the viruses infect a wide range of food crops including cereals, legumes, cucurbits, sugar beet, sugarcane and potato.
Until now researchers have been unable to generate the quantities of these viruses needed to study their structures in high resolution.
Now a team of researchers have used recent advances in plant expression technology to generate sufficient quantities of the pathogen to allow more detailed scrutiny with state of the art microscopy techniques.
Read more at John Innes Centre
Image: For the first-time we can take a molecular-level look at one of the world's deadliest crop killers. (Credit: University of Leeds)
